Indian Psychiatric Society submits detailed memorandum to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, advocating specialist leadership, modernised clinical facilities, and alignment with the Mental Healthcare Act 2017.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
A high-level delegation of senior psychiatrists met Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan in Thiruvananthapuram to hand over a comprehensive memorandum outlining urgent structural reforms required in public mental health services across Kerala.
The medical association urged the state government to immediately replace its outdated 2013 mental health policy with a modern framework aligned with the federal Mental Healthcare Act of 2017. IPS leadership emphasized that state policy must transition toward research-driven assessments, systematic gap analyses in service delivery, and direct linkage between annual budget allocations and measurable health outcomes.
A central demand raised by the delegation involves institutional governance. The IPS called for the mandatory appointment of qualified psychiatrists as superintendents of government mental health centres. Under existing cadre arrangements, several state-run psychiatric facilities are currently headed by non-specialist administrative officers.
Drawing parallels with specialized healthcare institutions—where oncology centers are headed by oncologists and cardiology institutes by cardiologists—the society argued that dedicated psychiatric institutions must be led by domain experts. Such leadership, the delegation noted, is critical to improving clinical care standardisation and enabling rapid, patient-centric operational decisions.
Beyond institutional leadership, the memorandum highlights severe resource constraints and infrastructural shortfalls at peripheral healthcare tiers. The IPS called for the immediate modernization of psychiatric wards at district and taluk hospitals, alongside the expansion of Community Mental Health Programmes (CMHP) to ensure psychiatric care is fully integrated into Primary Health Centres (PHCs).
The society further advocated for increased financial allocations targeting public anti-stigma campaigns and specialized training programmes for grassroots health workers. Continuous quality assurance mechanisms for all ongoing government mental health initiatives were also proposed to evaluate efficiency and care quality over time.
The delegation submitting the memorandum was led by IPS General Secretary Dr. Anees Ali and Vice-President Dr. T. Sagar. Other key senior members present during the discussions included Dr. Rajmohan V., Dr. Mohan Sundaram, and Dr. Mohan Roy G.
Speaking after the meeting, Dr. Anees Ali stated that Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan assured the delegation that the administration would examine the recommendations thoroughly and initiate measures to strengthen Kerala’s mental health framework and institutional capacity.
